Exceptional Mormon Health was Evident Over Many Decades

Mark W. Cannon
Danielle Stockton
[2-10-10]

Interest in Mormon health goes back to the Word of Wisdom revealed in 1833 ”for the temporal salvation of all saints”. Continuing focus on health was illustrated by George Q. Cannon being assigned by Brigham Young in the 1850’s to edit the Western Standard newspaper in California to proclaim the Gospel. Among the headlines were “Horrors of Opium Smoking,” “Colored Candy is Poisonous,” “How to Purify Water,” “Effects of Overwork,” “Necessity of Sleep,” and “Excessive Use of Salt.”

The long emphasis on treating the body as the Temple of the spirit led to advantages in good health. These were delineated by BYU President and eminent scientist Franklin S. Harris and Newbern Butts in The Fruits of Mormonism in 1925. They found low Mormon rates in diseases relevant to the Word of Wisdom such as cancer, tuberculosis, pneumonia and kidney diseases -- as well as suicide and homicide.

In 1938, John A. Widtsoe, an Apostle, a noted chemist and former President of University of Utah, wrote a book on the Word of Wisdom. An expert on sugar, he implored people to curb eating refined sugar and emphasize fresh vegetables. He also attributed to the Word of Wisdom low Mormon death rates from many diseases including an extraordinary 50 percent reduced rate for diabetes.

In 1973 a young non-Mormon physicist, James Enstrom, became fascinated with a startling discovery in a California Health Department study of Alameda County. Out of 6,928 adults, there were 111 church-going Mormons who neither smoked nor drank. Their death rate from major diseases was 45 percent lower than that of the general population. Enstrom promptly switched from physicist to epidemiologist, and obtained grants to study Mormon health. He found Utah had by far the lowest cancer rate in the nation. In Southern California, Mormon women had 21 percent, and men had one third, fewer cancer deaths than non-Mormons. His massive report, published in the authoritative Journal Cancer in September, 1975 attracted world-wide attention.

Enstrom launched into a similar study of deaths from heart and cardiovascular disease and reported to an American Heart Association conference in March, 1975 that Mormon deaths from heart and cardio problems were from one third to one half less than average.

Then came an independent study by established epidemiologist, Dr. Joseph Lyon. who studied living cancer victims as they were admitted to hospitals and diagnosed. The results were similar to Enstrom’s: Mormons in Utah were contracting cancer 25 percent less frequently than non-Mormons.

Soon, Enstrom, Lyon and others examined and confirmed Elder Widtsoe’s 1938 statistics that Mormon diabetes was 50% less and bladder and kidney disease 51 percent less than average.

The nation was concerned about the loss of life and costs of dreaded diseases and the good news from reliable studies about Mormon lifestyle was welcome. Illustrative was The Washington Post with a front page headline “Study Shows Low Mormon Cancer Rate” on 11/18/74.

FAMILY CIRCLE featured a 3-page story entitled “WHAT CAN WE LEARN ABOUT HEALTH FROM THE MORMONS?” with a subhead “Scientific studies are finding some of the answers—and may have a message for us all.” The article in January, 1976 was by medical journalist and book writer Bill Davidson, who detailed some of the history, such as the rediscovery of John A. Widtsoe, summarized above.

More Enstrom studies brought more front page headlines such as USA TODAY “NO. 1 IN THE USA…6.3 MILLION READERS EVERY DAY” declaring “Mormon lifestyle is healthiest” on 12/6/89. The lead stated: “The lowest death rates ever reported from heart disease and cancer have been found in a group of 10,000 Mormons, a new study suggests.”

The same day the Los Angeles Times also carried a front page story: “Life Style of Mormons Cuts Risk of Death”. They also carried a story by their “RELIGION WRITER JOHN DART” entitled “Mormons ‘Excited’ by Health Study”.

Also the same day THE WALL STREET JOURNAL reported “Mormon Rules Aid Long Life, Study Discloses”.

In 1997 a new study produced a new cycle of stories such as the Los Angeles Times headline “Mormons Among Nation’s Healthiest, Researchers Say” on 4/26/97.

LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley wrote Dr. Enstrom: “You have accomplished a tremendous thing in your study of the effects of the Word of Wisdom.”

The extraordinary publicity given to amazing discoveries about Mormon health and longevity – particularly to those who actually live the Mormon lifestyle – stimulates a thought. There are many additional benefits that come to those who conscientiously live a lifestyle derived from adherence to divine commandments. These fruits of Mormonism include: living wise prudential lives; preparedness for unexpected emergencies; stress reduction; peace of mind even in difficult circumstances; raising children who stand above the hapless crowd and become leaders; happiness; high education balanced with spirituality; socially beneficial innovations; lives with satisfying accomplishments; love of others and the joy that comes from service to others; and growth of such much-needed character traits as honesty, courage, and industry.

These benefits are much-desired and sought after by many people. It is no wonder that General Authorities have been asking Church members to explain Mormonism and clear up off-putting misconceptions about the Church, its doctrines and its fruits.

The clear evidence that Mormonism produced healthier and longer life contributed to a change in social scientists view of religion which had generally ranged from indifference to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud’s scorning of religion as “mankind’s universal obsessive neurosis” – even though empirical data had not supported that view.

By 1985, Enstrom had published six scientific studies on Mormon health and longevity. At that point there were only a handful of scientists interested in taking religion seriously as a causal factor in health. However, following his discoveries, such studies mushroomed and showed that other religions also had a positive influence on health.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ Mark W. Cannon was Administrative Assistant to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Staff Director to the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. He has a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. Danielle Stockton was co-editor of the student newspaper and the literary magazine at Madeira School and currently is a student at BYU. This article is posted to their blog, www.fruitsofmormonism.com.